Oven appliances generally include a cabinet that defines a cooking chamber for cooking food items therein, such as by baking or broiling the food items. To heat the cooking chamber for cooking, oven appliances include one or more heating elements positioned at a top portion, bottom portion, or both of the cooking chamber. Some oven appliances also include a convection heating element and fan for convection cooking cycles. The heating element or elements may be used for various cycles of the oven appliance, such as a preheat cycle, a cooking cycle, or a self-cleaning cycle.
During a typical preheat cycle, the air and surfaces of the cooking chamber are heated to a set temperature. The time required to heat the cooking chamber to the set temperature may vary depending on the load of the cooking chamber, i.e., additional baking racks, the type and/or number of cooking utensils, or the like within the cooking chamber during the preheat cycle can lengthen the preheat cycle because these objects must also be heated to achieve the set temperature. Further, the heat balance within the cooking chamber following the preheat cycle may vary based on the load of the cooking chamber such that food items cook differently based on the load of the cooking chamber. Increasing airflow within the cooking chamber may promote heat transfer and distribute heat within the cooking chamber, but acoustic noise produced by operating one or more fans for a longer period of time or at a higher speed may be undesired.
Accordingly, an oven appliance with features for minimizing the preheat time and balancing the heat distribution within the cooking chamber of the oven appliance while minimizing acoustic noise would be useful. Further, a method for operating an oven appliance to minimize the preheat time and balance the heat distribution within the cooking chamber of the oven appliance while minimizing acoustic noise would be beneficial.